The Arizona Arabic Flagship Program guides undergraduate students from diverse majors to professional Arabic fluency (ACTFL Superior, ILR 3). The program’s individualized learning pathways and study plans allow students to rapidly progress in their years of Arabic study at the University of Arizona. All Flagship students are required to complete a Flagship Capstone year of overseas intensive study administered by the American Councils for International Education. The Capstone year includes a summer session and two semesters of study.

Through immersion in a native-speaking environment, the Flagship Capstone year provides a life-changing experience to Flagship scholars and helps Flagship students reach professional language fluency. The challenges and rewards of the Flagship Capstone are countless. It is important for students to be academically and culturally prepared for this endeavor in order to be accepted to this competitive program and make the most of their studies overseas.

Academics

Arizona Arabic Flagship scholars who attain Intermediate-High Arabic proficiency in speaking and at least one other language skill (reading, writing, or listening), according to the ACTFL Scale may choose to participate in a summer of intensive Arabic study at the Flagship program in Meknes, Morocco.It is highly encouraged that Flagship students take advantage of this intensive summer opportunity. The summer program in Meknes, Morocco helps Flagship students prepare for their mandatory Flagship Capstone year overseas. It also addresses the needs of Flagship students who may need to “catch-up” due to an interruption or extension of their Arabic learning because of other demands on their time.

During the summer, Flagship scholars attend intensive courses in Modern Standard Arabic, Arabic Media, and Moroccan Colloquial, Darija. The Moroccan dialect course develops the participant's colloquial language skills so he or she can use it in daily life, with the help of a language partner who will interact with the participant exclusively in Moroccan Colloquial. The Print Media course develops reading strategies as well as raising cultural awareness of the region. The Non-Print Media course helps students develop listening strategies so that they are able to follow any televised discussion or a dialogue. The Language and its Conjunctions course develops writing at the text level with emphasis on clarity and cohesion. Weekly Roundtables are part of the summer program and provide great insight of the Moroccan culture and the region.

During the fall and spring semesters, all participants undertake professional internships and/or directed research projects reflecting their chosen field of interest at cooperating Moroccon organizations. The Flagship Resident Director and Internship Coordinator make site visits to internship locations/directed research sites to evaluate the appropriateness of the internship, provide support for the participant, and to help build relationships for future participants, where appropriate.

Housing

Participants stay with host families in Meknes, Morocco. The program has a large pool of host families who are willing to welcome Flagship students. This is a wonderful opportunity to practice the colloquial dialect, Darija, and learn more about the local customs.